Come savor a delicious creation at Metcalfe Restaurant. They are open nightly from Tuesday to Sunday and are reachable by public transit. They are positioned in a neighborhood filled with parks.
This was my second visit to Cork Restaurant in Elora, Ontario. My first, was a large gathering in which I did not eat much food. This second time, I went for a meal for my guests birthday.
Just like a few of my past reviews, I seem to find myself in popular destinations. Cork is just that. The place was packed, a jazz band was playing, and the patio had some people enjoying drinks.
It's a very small restaurant, but not tight. You have your privacy. The crowd this specific night was a little snobby. But then again, Elora is a little snobby. I'm not going to lie. I prefer a lighter atmosphere, but I wasn't there for the people, I was there for the food.
We were given our drinks, two Shirley Temples with a plate of Focaccia style bread with a dipping plate of oil and balsamic. The bread was a little dry, and didn't appear very fresh.
For our starter, we chose Thai Chili Shrimp, which was very fresh. The shrimp had a nice bite to it. Not flavor wise, but firm. Which is a sign of fresh shrimp. The chili sauce was milder, and very sweet. My guest really loved it.
Our main course we both decided on the Beef Tenderloin, which was served with roasted beets, spinach salad and mashed potatoes. Tenderloin is not my favorite cut, I prefer the Rib-Eye. They did a good job on the grill. Nice flavor, cooked perfectly. My guest likes her steak served well done, which is always a huge risk, but it was fine. The only thing the steak dish was missing, was a sauce, either on the plate or on the side. I love the taste of beef, but it's even better with a home made horseradish for example. Overall we really enjoyed it.
The best part of the meal was to come last. The Cappuccino Creme Brulee. To die for! Delicious! One of the best desserts I've had my entire life. I thought the concept of this dish was interesting, and I was not disappointed. The creme under that crystalized sugar was amazing. The texture, the taste, just perfect. Hats off to the kitchen staff for that one.
We enjoyed our meal, and will be back. The menu is very small, but we saw a couple more items we wanted to try in the future.
If you are going to Cork Restaurant you have to try the Cappuccino Creme Brulee.
We went to Cork a number of times when we were visiting Elora. Although there are other good restaurants in town this one really hits the mark. The dishes are inventive and delicious using mostly locally grown food. The wine list is good with lots of wines by the glass so you can try out different vintages. The service is friendly and efficient. There is live jazz on Saturday nights which is great!
Loved This place! Great Staff! Great Food!
what more could you possibly want?
Stopped in during the quaint little towns' star light shopping! was seated promptly, they serve great home made bread with a local merchants olive oil and balsamic... amazing. I had the choucroute garnie , and my husband had the beef, reasonable portions we were both in utter shock that a restaurant like this existed in the town! what gem.. definitely my new diamond in the rough! highly recommended! you will not know the ecstasy of the food until you try it
We went for lunch on the patio and I was impressed by the menu (although not with the dog on the patio and I have a dog~wouldn't bring him to a restaurant) We had beer and flatbreads and they were very good. A couple behind us had a problem with thier food and the waitress quickly corrected it which impressed me. We will definately be back for dinner. I do think they should have a "patio menu"
Decided to try this place dispite the few negative reviews and it was a great choice. The waitress (Tara?) was quite eager to ensure we were well taken care of and that we enjoyed our time there. We happen to be there on an evening when they had live entertainment and it was a welcome change. Overall the food was fantastic and service was top notch. Try the flat-breads, they make them fresh when ordered and are definitely worth the time.
All around a great place! I love that everything on the menu is local and made fresh. It says right on the menu to be patient as the food is made when ordered. I have allergies and they were extremely accommodating. There wasn't any awkwardness whatsoever. As soon as our server knew about my allergy, she went right to the kitchen to get the chef to recommend what would be best for me to eat. When she came back, she said that the chef was willing to make anything for me and would make it to suit me. Sure, it took some time before the food arrived... but we already knew this by reading the menu. This isn't a "fast food" restaurant... this is AWESOME! The food was incredible!
Cork is interesting. We have dined here three times since its opening in 2010. The first was great so we returned several months later to the worst service my husband and myself had ever experienced in our lives, bar none. I won't get into details here about what was so dreadful as the list would stretch to the North Pole. The great news is when we decided to give it one last try a couple of months ago it was, by far, THE BEST service either of us has ever had! (worst and best in the same restaurant, what're the odds?) Our server was named Tara, and she was simply perfect. My appetizer was the keema nan, which was not good and before I could even comment she insisted she get me something else. (Incidentally I saw another patron send her keema nan back, as well!) I chose the mussels which were spectacular. We also loved the homemade gnocchi and the braised hare. Throughout the dinner our server was attentive, super friendly and made us feel really well cared for. The patio is lovely, and after this last experience we are looking forward to returning!
Made reservations the night before and they asked on the phone if we are going to the concert and I said yes, why? And they said so we know to get you out on time.
Reservation was for 6, we arrived at ten after. Ordered our appetizers and main course at 6:30. At 7, the waitress returned to have us remind her what we ordered (?) and question if anything had been out yet (it hadn't). At 7:15 we got our appetizers and I reminded her that we had to leave at 7:45 for our concert that was at 8. She said ok, I'll bring the mains out asap.
At 7:50 we still had no mains. Everyone else around us seemed to have no problem getting their food. At 7:55 we complained to the 3 waitresses working there and the one who claimed to be the manager in charge, at first apologized and then called up our order and said that the order was not placed at 6:30 like I said but rather 6:52 (calling me a liar in effect) - the waitress obviously entered it way too late-but when I said that she said "oh no, she wouldn't do that" -our waitress was standing right there. She then went on to say that everything happened the way it should have !!! and the flat breads take extra time and everything happened the way it should have !!!
at this point the other blond intervened - thank goodness - and said we're so sorry, you don't have to pay for your appetizers, etc. And we left at 7:55 barely making it in time for our concert.
Terrible terrrible service by our waitress and the so called manager in charge. Trying to defend the fact that the main meals took 1.5 hours to be served??? I've never in my entire life waited anywhere close to this long for a meal anywhere. We went to the concert hungry and what a disappointment for our date out - don't get many of those when you have kids.
My husband and another couple ate at Cork last weekend. The service was incredible, you could tell she was experienced and knew the wine and dinner menu very well. She offered any assistance in answering questions we might have and even recommended dishes (as i have a dietary restriction). The atmosphere was lovely, the place was packed, the food and service were excellent. We had a wonderful night out, and will definitely return.
clearly the review before this one was when they just opened, and every restaurant has a few hiccups!
the food at CORK is TOP NOTCH!! this is a casual place with very experienced servers! in fact when the Elora mill closed for renovations, all the staff went to Cork or the Bridalbane inn! that alone indicates the caliber of cooks and front staff!
this is a MUST try for any foodie with a refined palette!
